Jeanne d'Arc

Joan of Arc (Jeanne d'Arc, la Pucelle d'Orléans) was born in Domrémy in 1412, lead a coup d'état to overthrow the English and return the French king to the throne, then was betrayed by the king himself and was burned alive in Rouen in 1431.


The spot where Jeanne d'Arc was burned at the stake in 1431. Yikes.


Since beatified, Sainte Jeanne d'Arc and her church here in Rouen.


Ste Jeanne's cross


Joan of Arc museum (far left) and some of the oldest buildings in Rouen


Brown building to the right is the OLDEST in Rouen, built in the early 1300s. It was here even before Joan was burned alive. Crazy!

Christmas in Paris

Paris really knows how to decorate for the holidays. The "grands magasins," or big department stores (Galeries Lafayette, Printemps, BHV), go all out for their window displays (and the exterior of the buildings)!

Each year the city of Paris chooses a theme country and all of the little artisan markets sell products from that country. The grands magasins also decorate according to the theme... guess this year's country.

Outside Galeries Lafayette


Hard to distinguish because of the reflection, but it's a table of bears with cakes and goodies... all animated.


Champagne glass pyramid with dancing bunnies


Animated matroshka dolls with dancing girls inside


Lady cossak dancers


Cute!


Snowy sugar-plum eating musicians playing Tchaikovsky


Inside Galeries Lafayette-- a department store! Did Macy's ever look like this?


Outside of Printemps. JC Penney eat your heart out.


Dome on inside of Galeries Lafayette (above) and accompanying Christmas tree (below).

Theme: if you guessed Russia, you're right!

Joyeux Anniversaire Morgane et Patrick!

J'ai passé un bon week-end en famille à Buthiers pour fêter les anniversaires de Patrick et Morgane Bellanger. On a bien mangé, c'est sûr!

WWII Normandy Landing: Omaha Beach, the American Cemetery and Caen Memorial

Where did D-Day take place? Here is a map of Normandy (northern France)(click to make image bigger):


The field trip to the Caen WWII Memorial and the American Cemetery on Omaha Beach (Colleville-sur-Mer ) was a very moving experience. In fact, I have to admit I am surprised how emotional it was. There is a very nice museum in Caen with artifacts, history and short films. The films aren't silent, but there is no narration because they get visitors from all over the world who speak many different languages. They use real WWII footage with all its own sound (loud, bombs, planes, etc.) and occasional music. Perhaps I am older and more mature, but the images that I have seen before really struck me on this visit. War is horrible.

Trying to picture the thousands of soldiers, boats, amphibious crafts, planes and parachutes while staring at the tranquility of the English Channel was weird, for lack of a better term. It wasn't so much hard as it was incredible. This really happened, all these people really died right HERE in like 3 days. In the first 12 hours alone on D-Day (June 6, 1944) 10,370 soldiers were already dead. They called Omaha Beach the "bloody beach" for obvious reasons.

Anti-war as I am, I can see how people are genuinely moved when they come to places like this. The sacrifices that were made... Tens of thousands dead, towns destroyed. Will we never learn?


This famous image really stuck in my head: I tried to put myself on that ship, about to jump into the freezing waters (probably already turning red at that point) at 6am on a stormy day in June, 1944. Could you even imagine seeing a red sea?

Omaha Beach itself






The American Cemetery receives thousands of visitors each year. It covers almost 173 acres and contains 9387 graves and a wall of unknown/missing. For more information please visit their website: http://www.abmc.gov/cemeteries/cemeteries/no.php

Le Gros-Horologe

Le Gros-Horologe (or the fat clock) is one of the major monuments in Rouen. Originally constructed in the 14th century, it stands just as securely, as brightly and as solidly as it did back in the day. The narrow pedestrian street that leads to and from the Gros-Horologe if full of great shops and bakeries.

The window at the bottom of the clock displays a different depiction of a Roman god/goddess for each corresponding day of the week (Mars for mardi, Mercury for mercredi, etc.)




As a tourist, you can take a tour of the clock tower and see the history and construction/evolution of the Gros-Horologe (pronounced grow-zor-O-lohge). From the top of the bell tower you have a magnificent view of the city of Rouen and the Seine river that winds through the center of town.

Les Cathédrales de Rouen

Rouen has several famous cathedrals and churches- can you tell?

La Maison Normande

Rouen is the second largest city in Haute Normandie (Upper Normandy) after le Havre. It has a relaxed and charming feel. As you stroll through the small, winding streets smelling croissants and chocolate, you might think that this is the ideal French city. Surrounded by these beautiful buildings, known to Anglo-Saxons as "Tudor" style, in France, or at least in Normandie, they are called "la maison normande."

I spent an afternoon taking hundreds of photos of these houses. I probably have the same shot of the same house twenty times, but I could not get enough of them. The different colors used, the leaning buildings, the tiny alleys... so quaint!

I asked Eloïse if the colors signified anything special, i.e. did the butcher live in a red house, did the boulanger live in a brown, etc. She said no, but you did have to have permission to change your house colors. I guess even in France they have covenant codes. Enjoy the walk through the streets of Rouen!